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Posts Tagged Chicago Tower Ladder 21

At approximately 4:40 on Wednesday afternoon, fire broke out in a large “s” shaped courtyard apartment building at the corner of Lunt and Bell. It was boxed shortly after arrival and eventually was raised to a 2-11 alarm. Engine 102 was first on the scene and reported fire on 2. They are shown below getting ready to feed the Tower. Truck 25 had their aerial up in sector one and Tower Ladder 21 was set up on the corner of Lunt and Bell. The back porches were involved but were not visible due to the shape of the building. By the time I got there at 5:15, most of the fire was on the top floor and the roof which was difficult to see due to the large trees that line the block. Rehab Unit 572 was set up on Bell and is seen below.

Eric Haak photo

Eric Haak photo

Eric Haak photo

Eric Haak photo

Editor’s note: How many fire scenes will have an HME engine and an HME tower ladder together …

The Chicago Tribune has an article about Tuesday’s 3-11 Alarm commercial fire on the city’s North Side.

Fire crews were called to the furniture store about 3:20 p.m. A 3-11 alarm, bringing more than 110 firefighters to the scene, was called by about 3:45 p.m., sending extra equipment as the fire got close to the tracks. The fire was under control about 6:30 p.m., but firefighters still were pouring water on the north side of the building about 6:45 p.m., according to Deputy Fire Cmsr. Michael Callahan.

The fire was finally out by about 9:45 p.m., but the building was considered unstable and fire officials were awaiting an expert opinion on whether the building would have to be demolished, accordign to Fire Media Affairs.

Chicago responded to a commercial structure fire this afternoon at 2543 W. irving Park Road, just west of Western Avenue. The former home of Illinois Battery Mfg. was ablaze emitting thick black smoke which could be seen for miles. The first floor commercial occupancy was vacant but a second floor apartment was occupied. The Chicago Tribune has a brief article HERE. There were no injuries and a Level I Haz Mat was initiated out of concern for the contents of the building. Tower Ladder 21 and Squad 2’s Snorkel were using elevated master streams and there was a special call for Tower Ladder 23 which was not deployed.

Tim Olk, Steve Redick and Larry Shapiro were at the scene after the bulk of the fire was knocked down. Tim has a gallery HERE, Steve has a gallery HERE, and Larry has a gallery HERE. .

Firefighters on the lower roof work to gain access to a fire above the 2nd floor apartment. Tim Olk photo

A firefighter climbs to the roof to assist the other members of his company in hitting the visible fire. Larry Shapiro photo

Firefighters in Squad 2's Snorkel work to gain access and ventilate the second floor. Tim Olk photo

Tower Ladder 23 sits ready to deploy in Sector 3 but was never put to work. Larry Shapiro photo

Firefighters in the platform of Tower Ladder 21 deploy their master stream into the building. Steve Redick photo

Engine 56 was one of four engines working at the scene. Larry Shapiro photo

Tower Ladder 21 and Squad 2 both work from above to hit the fire. Steve Redick photo

A Fire fighter from Squad 2 steadies himself on a ladder while working in a second floor window with no visibility. Tim Olk photo

The firefighter from Squad 2 gets some air as water from above rains down. Larry Shapiro photo

A view from across the street shows firefighters and Squad 2 in Sector 1 as smoke pushes out of the second floor. Steve Redick photo

Chicago firefighters responded to a fire at Andy’s Deli at 5442 N. Milwaukee Avenue Wednesday evening. First arriving companies found fire in the commercial occupancy and initially had trouble securing a water supply due to several frozen hydrants in the area. The fire attack went defensive partially due to concerns about the integrity of the roof and a 2-11 Alarm was requested. Two tower ladders and Squad 2’s Snorkel applied water from their buckets and Truck 55 had their main in the air with a master stream in place. A special call was made for the Mobile Ventilation Unit (9-2-3) from Engine 106’s quarters and it was put to work in Sector 1 to push the fire to the rear and through the roof to allow companies to get at it since much of the roof had remained intact.

Steve Redick took in the fire as did Larry Shapiro. A gallery of images by Larry Shapiro can be seen HERE.

A view of Sector 1 shows smoke but no visible fire. Since much of the roof remained intact, space was cleared out to allow access for the Mobile Ventilation Unit. Larry Shapiro photo

Since the fire was in the center of the building and the roof was largely intact, the MVU 9-2-3 was setup in front of the building to fan the fire so that firefighters could attack it without entering the premises. Larry Shapiro photo

A view from the alley shows heavy smoke pushing out of the rear because of the MVU on the street in front. Larry Shapiro photo

Engine 119 had a hydrant at one end of the alley where it meets Menard. Sewers were blocked and a large amount of water built up in the alley and down Menard. Larry Shapiro photo

Engine 83 brought Light Wagon 9-1-3 to the scene, as one is due at each 2-11 alarm fire in the city. Towards the end of the event, it was brought to Sector 1 and put to work offering firefighters greater visibility to direct handlines deep into the building from the sidewalk. Larry Shapiro photo

As companies began to break down their lines, most encountered hose with water that had frozen. They had to wrestle with the rigid hose to get it onto the engines and in some cases along the aerial bed of ladders for the trip back to quarters. There, companies repacked with new hose and dealt with the frozen hose in whatever manner they could. Larry Shapiro photo

Engine 108 has frozen hose propped over the top of the engine for the careful trip back to quarters. Larry Shapiro photo